Prescription drugs latest target of teens, young adults

Teenagers and young adults are swiping prescription pain killers from the medicine cabinets of parents and grandparents, then pooling and swapping the medications in what are called “pharm parties.”

Maureen Boyle

Teenagers and young adults are swiping prescription pain killers from the medicine cabinets of parents and grandparents, then pooling and swapping the medications in what are called “pharm parties.”

“We are finding that kids don't see taking a pill as dangerous as maybe ingesting cocaine or injecting heroin,” said June W. Stansbury, special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration's New England field office.

The theft of prescription painkillers — including OxyContin and Vicodin — is a growing problem throughout the country, and the “pharm parties” are beginning to show up in this area, experts say.

On average, 11.3 million people abuse prescription pain relievers annually, compared with an average of 25.5 million people using marijuana, the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSA) found.

Most of those people abusing the drugs are young.

Young adults aged 18 to 25 had the highest rates of abuse of prescription medication, followed by youths aged 12 to 17, according to SAMSA.

“Prescription pills are really the new high for people,” said Joanne Peterson, founder of Learn to Cope (learn2cope.org), a support group for parents of opiate addicted children.

To warn people, a unique forum will be held Wednesday at the Massasoit Conference Center, 770 Crescent St., from 4-8 p.m. The free forum, called “Generations Rx, Children in the Medicine Cabinet,” will feature two-dozen resource tables, multimedia shows on addiction, presentations on drug abuse, and a panel discussion where the public can ask questions of both national and local experts.

The forum will also include a “drug drop and ID zone,” where parents and seniors can bring in drugs to be identified or disposed of. DEA agents will be on hand to safeguard the medications, and free bus rides will be offered to seniors.

The event comes in the wake of The Enterprise series on opiate addiction called “Wasted Youth,” which revealed that at least 74 people died locally in the past 21/2 years from opiate overdoses — mostly heroin.

Hundreds more had been treated in local hospitals for nonfatal overdoses.

In many cases, teens and young adults told the paper they got hooked on the painkiller OxyContin, then turned to the cheaper heroin. Heroin costs as little as a pack of cigarettes on the street today.

Peterson said many teens and young adults are buying OxyContin on the street, but some are also stealing the drug from people they know.

“Pharm parties” aren't as widespread in this area as they are in other areas of the country, but Peterson said steps must be taken now to prevent them from expanding here.

Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz, the chief sponsor of the forum, said people who have pain medications in their cabinets need to be aware that someone may try to steal the pills — and it could be someone they know.

“You may have kids helping with a sick grandparent, where there may be OxyContin or other pain medications in the cabinet,” Cruz said. “We need to make people aware of the problem.”

Anne McCormack, director of the Brockton Council on Aging, said most seniors aren't aware of the problem.

“I don't think it is an issue that is broached,” she said.

Phyllis Spiegel, 77, said she keeps her pain medication in a safe place — but never thought anyone would try to steal it.

Anita Hunt, 71, hears stories about the children stealing painkillers from the medicine cabinets of their parents and grandparents.

She doesn't believe that would happen in her family — but says she'll still keep close watch if she's prescribed that type of medication.

“You never know,” the 71-year-old woman said.

Peterson said seniors need to also be aware that they could easily become addicted to some pain medications.

“They may not even realize it,” she said.

The forum Wednesday will feature speakers ranging from treatment experts to the DEA's Stansbury.

It is also sponsored by the Plymouth County District attorney's office, the parents' support group Learn to Cope, Brockton Area Multi-Services, The Enterprise, Massasoit Community College, Apothecare, and the Partnership for a Drug-Free America.

Several presentations will be made, including one by The Enterprise to update people on its Wasted Youth project. Free reprints of the series will be available.

“We have begun examining records for the past year, because our research in the previous report ended in 2006,” said managing editor Steve Damish. “As bad as things were in the past couple years, we now know things aren't getting better, so a forum like this is vital. The fight, in this region, is just beginning.”